UPDATED
10 September 2014, 8:11 p.m. – WITH nothing to lose, the UST Growling Tigers gave the National
University Bulldogs all they could handle before before dropping a 64-75
decision in their penultimate game of the UAAP Season 77 men’s basketball
tournament at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum, Wednesday.
Already out of the Final Four race, UST lost its third straight
game and dropped to a 5-8 record while the Bulldogs assured themselves of at least
a playoff after improving to 9-4.
With the Growling Tigers trailing by only one midway through
the fourth quarter, 59-60, Nico Javelona fired back-to-back triples to spark a
15-5 run and bury the Tigers for good.
NU Guard Gelo Alolino hit a midrange jumper in the 4:31 mark that
gave the Bulldogs a 70-61 lead. Glenn Khobuntin provided the finishing touches
from the free throw line, 76-64.
UST went without a field goal in the last 5:41 minutes of the
game.
Karim Abdul led UST with 15 points and nine rebounds while Ed
Daquioag and Renzo Subido added 13 and 11 points, respectively.
In the third period, UST’s Louie Vigil sank a corner triple at the
6:56 mark to tie things up at 42 before NU uncorked a 10-4 run for a 52-46
lead.
Reden Celda buried a triple to extend their advantage, 58-49, but
Daquioag answered with a three of his own to beat the third quarter buzzer and
keep UST within four points, 54-58.
“In our past three games, our problem was our execution of
plays in the fourth quarter, we were struggling in the fourth,” UST head
coach Bong dela Cruz said after another fourth-quarter meltdown. “During
those time, no one stood as a leader inside the court.”
The Growling Tigers had a good first quarter, leading by as much
as 10 points through a 14-4 run led by Daquioag’s six points including a trey
in the 7:03 mark.
But NU bounced back with a 10-0 salvo before UST maintained a slim
19-18 advantage.
The Tigers will try to
end their Season 77 campaign with a decent win against University of the East
Red Warriors on Tuesday, September 16 at the same venue. Karl Cedrick G. Basco
